Warrant served on Pensacola man charged with murder reveals new details

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A man involved in an hours-long standoff last week with police for violating federal probation is now in custody for first-degree murder.

A warrant was served Wednesday morning on 36-year-old Aaroney Reed for allegedly murdering 26-year-old James Beasley on Aug. 31.

Beasley was found shot twice and killed outside a home at 813 West Gadsden Street at about 2:15 a.m., according to Pensacola Police Department warrant affidavit.

On Monday, a witness was questioned by police and said he was with Beasley on Aug. 31. The man said himself, Beasley and two other men were “hanging out” behind the home on Gadsden Street, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit says the man and others ran when they heard the gunshots, but the witness heard Beasley yell and fall to the ground.

Police say the witness immediately identified Reed in a photo lineup as the man who killed Beasley.

Last week, Pensacola Police tried to serve a warrant for his federal probation violation. They surrounded an apartment in the Morris Court area of Pensacola Sept. 3 after Reed refused to come out. The SWAT standoff ended peacefully. He was taken into federal custody.

The warrant served Wednesday charges Reed with premeditated murder. He is now being held in the Escambia County jail without bond.

Jail records show he is also being charged with simple assault and obstructing justice.

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